Proton therapy for Prostate Cancer?

May 14, 2012

There are many options for management of prostate cancer.  This includes, but is not limited to, observation or active surveillance, radiation therapy (includes brachytherapy, external beam therapy, IMRT), cryotherapy, HIFU, surgery (robotic DaVinci or open), and proton therapy.  I tell my patients when there are so many options, you know that there is no one best therapy for each patient.  Instead, depending on your age, risk factors, amount and grade of prostate cancer, there may be one option that jumps ahead of the others.

Proton beam therapy is getting more attention, however many studies point out that it costs significantly more than other therapies such as standard radiation therapy, or surgery, while the benefits do not significantly stand above the other therapies.

In this day and age when we all realize there is not a bottomless pit of money in which we can fund healthcare costs, we have all taken a second look at cost efficiency as well as outcomes in healthcare.

Mass General Hospital is now launching a multiyear study looking into these very questions.  Read the full article here

 

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